Pakistani-Americans trying to pass themselves off as Indians

US Pakistanis lament 9/11 fallout

By Salim Rizvi In New York

Economic cost

Maqsood Ahmed is a construction worker in New York. He says he hides his national and religious identity from people at work.

"When people ask me 'where are you from?' I don't tell them that I am a Pakistani," he says.

"I say I have roots in India or that I am an American from Brooklyn.

Some Muslims have changed the way they dress, quit jobs due to discrimination and even changed their names to avoid reprisals.

There has also been an economic cost.